A DROITWICH woman has been found dead at the bottom of the stairs by her cleaning lady.

The cleaner made the grim discovery just after 9am yesterday when she arrived for work at the luxury detached house in Florence Avenue.

Neighbours named the dead woman as Rita Lee.

The cleaner rushed to a neighbour's house in the leafy suburb, and the pair called police.

Mrs Lee had lived alone in the detached house since the death of her husband a number of years ago.

He had committed suicide by shooting himself, neighbours told the Evening News.

Mrs Lee was said to have had two daughters. One lives in the South of England and the other lives in Northern Ireland.

Mrs Lee, thought to be in her 50s, had recently returned from a holiday in Ireland.

"It's a terrible shame, very sad," said one neighbour, who did not want to be named.

"It shouldn't have happened like this."

Mrs Lee's home was cordoned off last night and police officers were keeping a vigil outside the house.

Police confirmed that a post mortem was due to be carried out today.